Priority boarding on QF domestic - what is the story?

[reductionist]

I really think this thread is beyond use. Someone has an experience which is outside of the perceived priority boarding experience and all of a sudden they expect Qantas share prices to drop!

Just through them glass doors it comes to a rapid stop anyway.

Here's an idea for all the whiners that PB does not work and there's no room for their luggage in overhead, play by the rules. Be at the gate at the designated time before boarding instead of sitting in the QP, carry ONLY regulation hand luggage and when you have more than regulation luggage allowance, instead of thinking it's your God given right to carry more than your allowance, check some on - then when the boarding takes 15 minutes longer because people don't like checking in luggage as it takes too long to come out the other-side - do the math...

To a certain extent I agree with you in that this thread may not be useful any more. I say this despite having the opinion that this benefit still has not been properly implemented.

But, I don't agree with your implication that those who have been making noise about this issue travel with over & above their luggage allowance. I certainly don't do this.

 

[nlagalle]

Well another flight and another successful priority boarding. So aside from one time where the FA called people into the PB lane it has worked as well as I would expect. Sure it hasn't worked for some people at some times, but then I can say the same for VA too.

 

[medhead]

Priority boarding works and works well in every airport I have been to since it's introduction

Oh, you need to come to ADL. There is no such thing as PB there, and so it doesn't work. As someone who gets to the gate early and am always within the carry on allowance, I don't mind so much. But one thing that annoys me is the lack of any attempt at pre-boarding for platinum, which is something that they do in SYD with the PB lanes. I also hate the mad scramble for the scanners as soon as the gate agent presses the PA button. So call for this thread to close all you like, but don't think for one minute PB works well in every airport.

 

[dfcatch]

I really think this thread is beyond use. Someone has an experience which is outside of the perceived priority boarding experience and all of a sudden they expect Qantas share prices to drop!

Just through them glass doors it comes to a rapid stop anyway.

Here's an idea for all the whiners that PB does not work and there's no room for their luggage in overhead, play by the rules. Be at the gate at the designated time before boarding instead of sitting in the QP, carry ONLY regulation hand luggage and when you have more than regulation luggage allowance, instead of thinking it's your God given right to carry more than your allowance, check some on - then when the boarding takes 15 minutes longer because people don't like checking in luggage as it takes too long to come out the other-side - do the math...

Priority boarding works and works well in every airport I have been to since it's introduction

Actually - no you're wrong (on some counts).

1/ PB hasn't worked as it should for me in all instances as it is supposed to. Period. That's not good enough. It's a published benefit, QF state they will provide it and that it will operate as per x and x - then it need to - end of discussion.

2/ I agree with your comments regarding carry on.

3/ I agree that the thread may be ending its useful life.

4/ No - its my right to remain in the QP and then to board whenever I like via the PB lane. That's what it'a there for.

If I was going to follow your advice then let's get rid of PB.

5/ I'm happy that it has met your expectations - but it hasn't met mine in all cases, and other members had experienced failures too.

6/ If one day it doesn't work for you and you are upset about it - I will support your gripe.

 

[amaroo]

Have just got off QF8 BNE-SYD and the PB was a free for all.

The agents didn't control it therefore, it didn't work.......simple as that!

 

[MatF]

Yeah, I was on QF512 this morning, SYD-BNE. PB was working fine for the most part. There was a huge queue on the general boarding side, and I strolled down the PB lane, but when I was about half way down the aisle, 4 or 5 people ducked across from the general boarding lane into the PB lane just past the headphones box. It was right in front of the FA, who just let them through.

Consistency looks like it's again the issue. Speaking of which, has anyone noticed that the PB lane is on the left in SYD, but on the right in BNE? I wonder why?

 

[bigjobs]

i have used the PB lanes in BNE & SYD a lot lately. each time they have worked. at times I wander up, big line in normal lane, no line in PB. stroll down PB lane and gate attendant is checking people in from normal lane. when they have seen me they have asked the normal people to wait for a moment while they board me. seems reasonable way to do it. you wouldn't want to be in the normal line and see a gate attendant doing nothing waiting for WP's SG etc to wander up.

 

[samh004]

you wouldn't want to be in the normal line and see a gate attendant doing nothing waiting for WP's SG etc to wander up.

You wouldn’t want to see the gate attendant waiting for SG’s

 

[Moopere]

Here's an idea for all the whiners that PB does not work and there's no room for their luggage in overhead, play by the rules. Be at the gate at the designated time before boarding instead of sitting in the QP

Ha! Not to be argumentative, but another way to get PB for those who like it is to just give up on QF's inability to be consistent in this and go DJ Cheeky response I know - but more then a bit of truth in there.

 

[11sjw]

Ha! Not to be argumentative, but another way to get PB for those who like it is to just give up on QF's inability to be consistent in this and go DJ Cheeky response I know - but more then a bit of truth in there.

Or airlines could print your priority on your Boarding Pass (similar to some US airlines) and don't let anyone board that isn't meant to.

 

[samh004]

Or airlines could print your priority on your Boarding Pass (similar to some US airlines) and don't let anyone board that isn't meant to.

Doesn’t help if you have status with one airline that is applicable to the flight you’re taking, but credit to another

 

[Noob]

Ha! Not to be argumentative, but another way to get PB for those who like it is to just give up on QF's inability to be consistent in this and go DJ Cheeky response I know - but more then a bit of truth in there.

To be fair, DJ has offered PB for a longer period than QF - It will be interesting to see the consistency of PB in 6 months or so across both Airlines.

 

[Oneworldplus2]

To be fair, DJ has offered PB for a longer period than QF - It will be interesting to see the consistency of PB in 6 months or so across both Airlines.

I thought only on Dom.
Int, QF have been doing it for a while. (Paging Serfty, Markis10 or OzMark or others with an insight into this?????)

 

[11sjw]

I thought only on Dom.
Int, QF have been doing it for a while. (Paging Serfty, Markis10 or OzMark or others with an insight into this?????)

Intl with QF ex SYD in April last year was great. Ex PER to HKG last Nov not so much.

 

[Oneworldplus2]

I did PER-SIN about 2 years ago and it worked. Guess it depends on crew and where you are departing from? ADL, from Medhead's accounts seems to be a disaster.

 

[Noob]

I thought only on Dom.
Int, QF have been doing it for a while. (Paging Serfty, Markis10 or OzMark or others with an insight into this?????)

I meant Domestically. Domestic ground staff have to get use to the new procedures etc.

 

[nlagalle]

I thought only on Dom.
Int, QF have been doing it for a while. (Paging Serfty, Markis10 or OzMark or others with an insight into this?????)

QF have had PB on Int for some time, and yes it works everytime I have used it..

 

[pshepvic]

To be fair, DJ has offered PB for a longer period than QF - It will be interesting to see the consistency of PB in 6 months or so across both Airlines.

Although my experience was that DJ pretty much got it right from day one. I've only ever seen it not work once with DJ, but a gate agent realised pretty quickly that everyone was going to the wrong place and fixed it up quick smart.

Additionally, QF have said that it's a benefit for years, and almost never provided it.

To be honest it's not really that hard to do. There are countless suggestions in this thread that could be used to define the procedure and training - but it's pretty clear that some of the staff don't understand how to do it. That indicates to me that either 1. the Procedures and/or training were insufficient, or 2. some of the staff just don't give a s***. If it's the first reason, then that's an easy fix. If it's the second, then they've got some bigger behavioural issues to deal with there.

 

[ajw373]

Guys it takes time to train the sheep (passengers). If it is not something that has been done before their behaviour won't change overnight. Sure the ground staff should be training them, but doing so with a big whip is going to piss them off, and frankly non status passengers are just as important as status passengers. So give it time and be patient.

 

[Moopere]

Guys it takes time to train the sheep (passengers). If it is not something that has been done before their behaviour won't change overnight. Sure the ground staff should be training them, but doing so with a big whip is going to piss them off, and frankly non status passengers are just as important as status passengers. So give it time and be patient.

I'm really unsure. DJ implemented theirs in almost no time, using tried and true crowd control methods; ie; I am the authority figure and I'm instructing you to do something ... this works time and time again from airline booking to ticketing at football matches or controlling lines at nightclubs.

Crowds in otherwise peaceful scenarios almost always respond in a positive way to an unambiguous command from authority figures. If you are weak or vacillating then you won't get what you want. I'd have thought though that basic people control skills would be part of FA 101 training, given the need to authoritatively control passengers during problem times or emergencies. I smell ambiguous management directives or unwillingness to change of behalf of the ground staff ... or both.